Wrench



March 2, 11937...

H. S. MIMS WRENCH Filed April 26, 1935 Patented Mar. 2, 1937 UNITEDSTATES PAE ' F Fl WRENCH Tex.

Application April 26, 1935, Serial No. 18,305

2 Claims.

This invention relates to new and useful improvements in wrenches.

One object of the invention is to provide an improved wrench which maybe readily applied to bolt heads or nuts of various sizes.

An important object of the invention is to provide an improved wrenchhaving a socket adapted to fit over a bolt head, and means arranged toswing into said socket; to frictionally engage the periphery of saidhead to hold the same in the socket, said means being so constructedthat any tendency of the head to disengage from the socket will serve toincrease the frictional hold of said means to positively prevent thedisengagement of said head from the socket.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved wrenchhaving a socket for receiving a bolt head or nut, said socket havinggripping means for engaging said nut or bolt head to hold the same inthe socket, together with stop means for positioning said head or nutwithin the socket, so that the gripping means will positively engage thenut, and also to facilitate the application of the wrench to a nut orbolt head.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a wrench socket ofthe usual type having a pivoted gripping means which is arranged toswing into the socket to engage the bolt head or nut within the socket,said means being so constructed that a pull on the head or nut withinsaid socket will increase the frictional hold of said means.

A construction designed to carry out the invention will be hereinafterdescribed, together with other features of the invention.

The invention will be more readily understood from a reading of thefollowing specification and by reference to the accompanying drawing, inwhich an example of the invention is shown and wherein:

Figure 1 is a longitudinal vertical sectional view of a wrenchconstructed in accordance with the invention,

Figure 2 is a plan view,

Figure 3 is a horizontal, cross-sectional view,

taken on the line 3-3 of Figure 1,

Figure 4 is an enlarged vertical sectional view of the wrench socketshowing a bolt head there- 1n,

Figure 5 is an isometric view of the pivoted r pp g d e.

Figure 6 is a transverse vertical sectional view of an ordinary wrenchsocket having a gripping dog pivoted thereon,

Figure 7 is a plan view of the same,

Figure 8 is a horizontal cross-sectional view of the same, taken on theline 88 of Figure 6, and

Figure 9 is an isometric of the gripping dog in this form.

In the drawing, the numeral it designates an elongated shank which ispreferably rectangular in cross section. The shank forms the handle ofthe wrench and may be of any desired length or size. A wrench socket I!is made integral with one end of the shank and this socket has its outerperiphery preferably cylindrical. The inner periphery E2 of the socketis hexagonal, or other shape, to conform to the shape of the nut or bolthead to which it is to be applied. It is obvious that the socket may bemade in various sizes to accommodate various size nuts and bolt heads.

The upper end of the socket is provided Within an inwardly extendingannular flange l3, whereby when the socket is engaged over a bolt headA, or nut, said head will not pass through the socket, thereby assuringthat the head will be received in said socket (Figure 4).

For retaining a bolt head within the socket H and to provide a sure gripof the socket upon said head, the shank I0 is provided with a centralcut-out portion or angular slot M which extends vertically through saidshank. This slot is located adjacent the socket ll having one end openthereto, as is clearly shown in Figures 1 and 4. A gripping dog i5 ispivoted on a transverse pin H5 at the lower end of the slot. Thelocation of this dog is such that when its outermost end is swungdownwardly, the dog is swung into the socket, While a reverse swingingof the dog moves it out of the slot (dotted lines in Figure 4). Theouter face l5 of the dog is cam shaped being curved as shown, and ispreferably knurled. When the socket is engaged over the bolt head A andthe dog i5 swung downwardly it is obvious that the knurled cam-shapedface l5 of the dog engages the side of said head, to frictionally holdthe same within the socket. Due to the cam-shaped face of the dog, anydownward pull on the bolt or upward pull on the socket, will only tendto cause said dog to engage the head more securely, thereby increasingthe frictional hold. Thus, all danger of the bolt head being releasedfrom the socket while the dog is in engagement therewith is eliminated.

For quickly engaging and disengaging the dog from the bolt head A, saiddog is provided with an upwardly extending and rearwardly inclinedoperating bar ll. This bar extends upwardly through the slot I4 and isbent upon itself near its upper end, as clearly shown in Figure 5. Theextreme upper portion of the bar is provided with a thumb piece I8 tofacilitate depression of said bar. The bar is formed with a shoulder ITat the bend therein and when the bar and dog are disposed in positionwithin the slot M, (Figures 1 and 4) a coiled spring I9 is locatedwithin the slot beneath said shoulder and exerts its pressure toconstantly force the bar ll upwardly.

It will be seen by observing Figure 4, that normally the bar is held ina raised position (full lines) by said spring. Due to the location ofthe pivot pin IS, the dog is extending within the socket at this time.By depressing the bar H, the dog is retracted and the socket may bereadily positioned over the bolt head A, or nut. The annular flange l3at the upper end of the socket prevents the head from passing completelythrough the socket, and assures a portion of the periphery of the headbeing exposed to the dog when the latter is swung inwardly. By releasingthe bar H, the tension of the spring 19 immediately swings the face I5of the dog into engagement with the bolt head. The knurled facefrictionally engages said bolt head toprevent displacement of said headfrom the socket. Any tendency of the head to move from the socket onlyserves to lighten the grip of said dog on the head because of thecam-shaped face I5 of the dog. The outer end of the shank is providedwith a depressible ball 20 whereby a grooved extension handle 2! may, ifdesired, be attached to said shank.

In Figures 6 to 9, the gripping dog is shown applied to the usual wrenchsocket 25. In this form, the inner periphery of the socket is serratedand the dog 26 is pivoted in a radial slot 21 formed in the Wall of thesocket. The outer face of the dog is provided with a notch 28 to conformto the serrations of the socket. A shoulder 29 is located at the outerend of said dog on the top thereof and a coiled spring 30 is confinedwithin the slot and bears against this shoulder to hold the dogoutwardly within the slot. The opposite end of the dog is provided witha vertical operating rod 3i which extends above the top of the socket.As clearly shown in Figure 6, with the face of the dog extending withinthe socket, the rod is lying contiguous to the socket. By swinging therod, the dog is retracted and the socket may be readily engaged over abolt head, or nut. The outer face of the dog 2% is also curved so that awedging or tightening action is attained upon any tendency of the bolthead to disengage from the socket.

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A wrench comprising, a handle shank having a socket open at one sideto interfittingly receive a bolt head or nut, the socket beinginternally shouldered at its opposite side to retain the received bolthead or nut, said handle shank having an opening communicable with thesocket at one transverse side thereof, a spring-pressed lever type ofretaining dog having a rounded eccentric cam portion pivotally mountedin said opening, said dog normally urged by its spring element to movethe cam portion projectedly into said socket, said cam portion rotatablymoving recedingly against the yieldable counter pressing force of thespring element by the insertion of a bolt head or nut into said socketand engaging the adjacent face of the inserted bolt head or nut to holdthe bolt head or nut from withdrawal, and a lever extension on said dogfor rotating the cam portion in the direction to eifectively retract itfrom said socket to release the inserted bolt head or nut.

2. A Wrench comprising, a handle shank having a counterpart polygonalwalled socket open at one side of the handle shank to receive a bolthead or nut but being internally shouldered adjacent the opposite sideof the handle shank to retain the bolt head or nut, the handle shankhaving an opening extending therethrough adjacent one side wall of saidsocket and communicating with the socket through said side Wall andcontiguous the bolt head or nut receiving opening of said socket, aretaining dog having a rounded eccentrically pivoted bolt head or nutengaging cam portion located in the portion of said opening of thehandle shank that communicates directly with the bolt head or nutreceiving socket, said dog having an angularly disposed 1ever extensionfrom its said cam portion, the free end of said lever extension beingprojected in said opening in the region of the end of said opening formanipulation, and a spring element normally pressing said dog to move itin the direction to turn the cam portion of the dog to enter said socketto a position for engagement and retention of an inserted bolt head ornut, said cam portion moving rotatably to recede from the socket againstthe yieldable counter pressing force of the spring element by the bolthead or nut entering the socket.

HOWARD S. MIMS.

